The Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTSALP) believes all children should experience the arts through hands-on learning.

Beverly Taylor Sorenson–mother of Sorenson Impact Center founder James Lee Sorenson–developed a model to integrate the arts into K-6 schools in Utah which persists today in public education.

However, the BTSALP doesn’t want to stop at 6th grade, they want to expand their program into K-12 education across the state. They approached us with this idea and we created a plan to help them achieve their goal.

The BTSALP was named after its champion Beverley Taylor Sorenson whose tireless advocacy for the arts left a legacy that is still felt by many across the State of Utah. As a child, Beverley trained in dance and music, and she continued to foster her passion for the arts as she raised eight children with her husband James LeVoy Sorenson. Her compassion for young children, support for the arts, and background in teaching inspired her pioneering efforts to reinvigorate elementary arts education in Utah’s higher education community. Beverley’s passion was the driving force behind the Sorenson family’s eight endowments to institutions of higher education in Utah. These endowments support colleges and departments responsible for educating Utah’s future teachers, and ensure that both future and current teachers are wellequipped to create meaningful art experiences for children in Utah. Because of Beverley’s legacy, each year thousands of students and educators experience arts integrated learning opportunities that create deeper understanding of K–6 foundational concepts across science, language arts, math, social studies, and more. 01About Art Works for Kids and BTSALP About the Sorenson Impact Center Art Works for Kids (AWFK) and Friends of AWFK were created to help execute Beverley’s vision for arts learning in Utah through strategic guidance and advocacy. The foundation was established in 1995 alongside the BTSALP teaching model. Beverley’s family, James Lee Sorenson, Joe Sorenson, and Joan Sorenson Fenton, serve on the foundation’s board of trustees. The BTSALP is funded by the state legislature and AWFK, and supported by seven endowed institutions of higher education that advise the program and provide professional development for arts integration specialists. The program is implemented and monitored by the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) in close collaboration with Local Education Agencies (LEAs) around the state. Endowed by James Lee Sorenson in 2013, the Sorenson Impact Center (The Center) is a national research and technical assistance provider based at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business. The Center provides expertise in performance measurement, evaluation design, data analysis, evidence-based programming, and policy. 020